


Best laid schemes....

by thepheonixqueen



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Cannibalism, F/M, Human Sacrifice, Kidnapping, M/M, Multi, Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 17:38:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6249229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepheonixqueen/pseuds/thepheonixqueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>o' mice' an' men gang aft a-gley. -Robert Burns. </p>
<p>Halfling verse-</p>
<p>What if the raid to rescue David and the other captured halfings went wrong from the start?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best laid schemes....

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dellessa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dellessa/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Rescue Party](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6109117) by [Dellessa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dellessa/pseuds/Dellessa). 



They knew all the moment their plans went to hell.

One day. 

Just one day. 

That was all it took to ruin everything. 

North and York had been on edge, the routine shifting out of what was the established norm within Hargrove’s castle of horrors. Maine was tense, on the verge of snatching his mate up without them at the least sign of trouble. 

York noticed first. 

Four halflings missing from the cells Hargrove called his harem. 

Ones who hadn’t been forced into Hargrove’s room or delivered to the locked door they never saw the inside of. The pain they had felt seeing other guards forcing their mates into either of those rooms filled all three of them with the blackest rage. 

The missing halflings were worrying enough, but when they went to check on their mates in their wing of the cells neither David or Elvea were there. Fear made their hearts beat faster and faster as they tried to hide their panic. 

York had the friendly persona in his role, and managed to coax from one of the few fearful slaves that Hargrove had summoned both their mates in the middle of the night with no warning. The still bleeding lash marks on his back provided proof of his tale that they had been driven to prepare them both quicker than usual. 

The sound of the main gate falling announced the arrival of the rest of the Church siblings on their quest to save their lost brother. North and York looked at one another before looking at Maine, “You want to take this floor or the one above?” 

This floor held the ‘playroom’ while the floor above held Hargrove’s private suite. Maine looked torn before steeling himself. “This floor.” 

York and North charged out of the room and up the stairs. York knelt by the locked door of Hargrove’s suite and picked the lock faster than he ever had before. Pushing the door open as soon as he was done, he and North swept the first room with no sign of David, Delta or any of the other missing halflings. 

It was when they entered Hargrove’s bedroom that their world fell out from under them. There lying discarded on the ruined bed was David, paler than they had ever seen him and clad in only the collar and jeweled manacles that all the stolen halflings wore. York slowly moved towards him, hearing North choke back a sob as he followed until they stared down at their mate’s lifeless eyes sightlessly fixed towards the ceiling. 

The bruises around his neck made it clear how he had died and York felt rage like never before fill his heart as he picked David up. Had he always been so light?

Getting David out was all he could think of and he slowly carried David down the stairs. When they reached the main hall, choked gasps made it clear that his siblings had seen the limp body of their beloved brother. 

Beth was suddenly next to him, her hand trembling as she brushed back David’s bangs gently. “Take him to the tent. We are not leaving him here. We aren’t leaving any of them here. He will pay for this.” 

North and York headed brokenly to the tents set up outside, mourning the mate they had shared so briefly and the future happiness they had lost.

ooooooooooo

 

Maine had smashed down the door of the so called playroom without thinking, determined to get to Elvea if it was the last thing that he did. He had to save him, nothing else mattered. 

When the door finally opened, his axe hit the floor as the horror of the scene before him hit him fully. While he was relieved that Delta was not here, this was a horror unexpected and terrible on its own. 

The tiny frame of an elfling dangled from manacles suspended from the ceiling, it’s back laid open with whip marks that went deep enough to bare bone. A growing puddle of blood was spreading beneath the child and the lack of clothing on it’s thin frame made it clear that this was not the first time it had been here. Bruises, bite marks and darker blood down it’s leg hinted at dark horrors and depravity that he had thought even Hargrove not low enough to sink to.

He reached out to lower the broken little body to the ground only of the child to scream in fear and pain at his touch. Steeling himself he forced the manacles open and draped the child against his shoulder. Turning he rushed to get the broken child out to the healers waiting outside, doing his best to murmur comforting things to the whimpering child.

oooooooooo

Leo and Edward stalked up the stairs, angry pulsing through their veins as they remember the sight of David’s limp body being carried past them. Leo prayed that David was simply unconscious but in his heart he suspected the worst. 

They reached a locked door and Leo knelt to pick the lock, quickly and silently turning the tumblers he needed. Shoving the door open, he and Edward froze in horror at a sight they would never have imagined in their darkest nightmares. Sigmund, their own cousin Sigmund! Sigmund stood before what was clearly an altar, the limp frame of a halfling draped over it with their throat cut deep enough for flashes of bone to be visible. With a roar, they charged forward and slammed into their traitorous cousin and bore him to the ground where Leo bound his hands behind his back.

Edward jerked Sigmund to his feet before turning to the murdered halfling on the altar. Gently he picked up the limp frame and turned towards Leo and Sigmund. “Take him downstairs, Leo. I’ll carry his victim. One of the others will hopefully know who he is.”

oooooooooo

 

Carolina and Beth strode down the stairs like a thunderhead rolling across the plains, their faces grimly set and revenge on their minds. The sight of their beloved little brother’s broken body being carried by his newly handfasted mates would haunt them for the rest of their lives. If only they had moved sooner….

Now, they were hunting Hargrove. They would find the one to blame for what had happened to David and make sure he paid inch by inch for every bruise on David’s dead body. Beth kicked open the door blocking their way further into the cellar and suddenly they found themselves in hell itself. The broken bodies of several halflings lay scattered across the room in pieces while a pair of Drow fornicated in the middle of the viscera as they ripped and tore more globs of halfling flesh to eat. Carolina glanced at Beth in horror before leaping at the two drow with her swords drawn while Beth covered her back with her crossbow. 

The smaller drow separated from its mate and charged at Carolina only to drop with a bolt through his eye. The last drow snarled and charged as well but Carolina was ready and neatly drove her blade into the drow’s side as she shifted to let it charge by her.

Letting the drow fall to the ground as she withdrew her blade she backed up until she was next to Beth again. Her eyes darting to the remains of the slaughtered halflings and was suddenly grateful that David’s body had at least been found before he was dumped in this charnel pit. 

oooooooooo

 

After the first charge through the castle, a more orderly search was conducted. The freed halflings and slaves helped as much as they could, revealing hidden rooms and chambers that might have been missed if not for them. York moved room from room, checking for anyone they might have missed. The boy leading him was not much older than the elfling Maine had found and had vivid whip marks and old scars along his back. The boy had already been claimed by one of the officers from Lancia who had children about the same age.

The Lancers had one and all been aghast and outraged by the horrors of Hargrove’s castle in Tartarus. The mistreatment of the tiny elfling and the fact that there were child slaves- slavery was illegal in Lancia, which made seeing children in such a state worse- had been enraging. At least Matthews would find a good home with Colonel Bitters’ family.

The boy pointed to a slab of stone set in the floor. He gulped. “In there. Frank...he put Frank in their…..with...with his mate.”

York paled at the thought and called out to the guards who patrolled the halls ready to assist if someone was found. Together the three of them lifted the stone to reveal a sharply slanted shelf of stone that lead into a dark pit. 

York gasped. Dear gods. Hargrove had oubliettes? He turned to Matthews, telling the boy to give the information to Carolina. They would have to double check for more oubliettes in case anyone was still alive in them. If they had to destroy a good portion of Hargrove’s castle to do so, all the better. 

He then sent one of the two guards to find some rope. Once it was anchored, he slowly slid down into oubliette and waited while a lantern was passed down to him. When he turned up the lantern, he took a step back in horror. A fairly emaciated Drow was kneeling next to the decomposing remains of what appeared to be fay if the tattered remnants of winglets were what he thought. The fact the drow was so wasted when in front of him was something usually considered a delicacy by drow was puzzling. The drow seemed to finally notice the light and launched himself at York. “Stay away from him! I won’t let you touch my mate. Frank, you fool! Move!” 

York tried to dodge the attack but the Drow dove onto him, clawing at his face violently before a guard arrived and knocked him out. York groaned, holding his face as he covered his left eye and feeling blood run down his face. “Bring him and….the remains out to the camp. We can learn more there.” 

 

oooooooooo

 

By the time the castle had been scoured and all the imprisoned halflings were either being treated by the healers or their bodies were being packed in ice for the trip back to Lancia. Carolina’s heart broke every time she saw the ice wagon, the sight of David’s broken body appearing before her. Edward and Beth were going to continue the hunt for Hargrove, along with Maine, determined to avenge those lost. North had attached himself to the side of the tiny elf child and York had wearily agreed to adopt him as well. York would return to Valhalla with them to heal and slowly recover from losing his vision in one eye.

No one would replace David, ever, but North had always loved children and little Theta forced him to focus on the present and not get lost in the past. Also with the hunting party was the deranged drow, who had sworn himself to the hunt in vengeance for his own lost mate as the deceased fay had been revealed to be. Apparently Hargrove and his drow assistants had placed bets on how long it would take for the drow to snap and eat his mate’s dead body.

The War against Hargrove was on but the first battle had been costlier than they had feared. He would pay in blood for what was done to his victims.

oooooooooo

Omega glared at the humans and halflings around him as they wasted time when they could be hunting. He was going to find Hargrove. He had been denied his revenge on Felix and Locus but on Hargrove he would have his revenge. 

Revenge for Frank. 

His silly little fool would be avenged as he had promised. 

He could still clearly see the bemused expression on the human’s face as he ordered Felix to stab Frank before they were both thrown into the oubliette. He had tried so hard to stop the bleeding, to save his foolish filit.

  
His mate had died in his arms while Hargrove and the honorless dregs working for him had dared to impugn his honor by betting when he would eat his mate’s body. He would never desecrate Frank, especially when he had been gifted his mate’s true name at the end. His silly fool had been named Frankincense. In his name, he would tear Hargrove into bloody shreds to throw to the ravens and crows as unworthy for eating.


End file.
